Process of dyeing silk



llNrrnn STATES PATENT Qrrion,

JACOB \VEIDMANN, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY.

PROCESS OF DYEING SILK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 580,331, dated April 6, 1897. Application filed "Tuly 5, 1895. Serial No. 555,488. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB WVEIDMANN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Paterson, in the county of Passaic and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Producing Weighted Black Sou ples; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to theart of dyeing silk.

The object of the invention is in a ready, practical, and efficient manner to produce a weighted black souple of superior quality which shall be of increased strength and fullness of fiber and be of even, solid, and fast color.

With this object in view the invention consists in taking silk in the condition of souple and then weighting and dyeing it black; furthermore, in producing black souples having from fifty to three hundred per cent. of

added weight; furthermore, in producing a,

strong and full-fibered black souple by first taking silk in the condition of souple and undyed, and then weighting it and then dyeing it black or of some color toward or for black and to which black may subsequently be added; furthermore, in producing a strong and full-fibered souple of even, solid, and fast color by first partly weighting the souple, then grounding it-that is, giving it some desirable dark color toward or for black-and then completing the weighting, and then, if desired, dyeing black; furthermore, in producing a strong full-fibered black souple by first taking silk in the condition of souple, then weighting this with bichlorid of tin, and then dyeing it black.

In dyeing unmanufactured silk the silk is taken either directly in its rough conditionthat is, in the condition of raw silk--or in the condition of luster-that is, in its boiled-E condition-the silk having been boiled in a proper solution until entirely free from the silk glpe or gum, whereupon it becomes lustrous; or it is taken in the condition of souplethat is to say, in a condition in which it is neither rough nor lustrous-the silk having been treated with a warm soap-and-soda solution, rinsed, then sulfured, and then softened, all as well known; and in weighting and dyeing silk it has been takenin its raw condition or in its lustrous condition*that is, its boiledoff condition-for all colors; but for black it has never heretofore been taken first and directly in the condition of souple. The reason for this has been that inasmuch as in the process employed in dyeing souples of alight color wherein the silk is taken directly in condition of souple and weighted and dyed of light color the same could only be weighted up to about fifty per cent, partly because the souples would not generally hold more weight, and partly because with more weight, and even with this weight, sometimes, they were brash and brittle, it seemed only reasonable that in taking souples and dyeing them black the same thing would occur but Ihave discovered that by the use of materials containing tannin, requisite for black, and by my procedure more weight can be held, and this without detriment-really with positive advantage.

In carrying my invention into effect I begin with the silk in the condition of souple. To make a souple, generally speaking, and as well known to those skilled in the art, raw silk is put into a soap-and-soda bath for about an hour with proper moving of it about, and is then taken out, sulfured, and laid up, after which it is subjected to the softening process, or, as it is commonly callec soupled. Taking the silk then in the condition of souple I proceed to weight it by subjecting itto a bath of bichlorid of tin of a strength of from to Baum and leave it in this bath for about an hour, after which it is taken out and washed. If the souple is finally to have a weight of twenty-four ounces-that is to say, to have an added weight of fifty per cent.-it is passed once through the tinbath. If it is to have a weight of thirty-two ounces-that is to say, an added weight of one hundred per cent-4t is passed twice through the tin-bath. If it is to have a weight of forty ounces-that is to say, an added weight of one hundred and fifty per cent.-- it is passed three times through the tin-bath. If it is to have a weight of fifty ounces-that is. to say, an added weight of two hundred per cent.-it is passed four times through the tin-bath; and if it is to have aweight of sixty ouncesthat is to say, an added weight of three hundred per cent.it is passed five times through the tin-bath. Having washed the silk after the tin-bath, it is subjectedto a solution of phosphate of soda of proper temperature and then again washed, after which it is passed back and forth in a bath of silicate of soda and then again subjected to the tin-bath for about an hour, more or less. The souple may then directly be dyed black by subjection to the action of catechuthat is, cutch or gambier or divi-divi or sumac-and then to the logwood-and-soap bath; but I find it advantageous toward the effecting of penetration of the black to all parts of the fiber now to perform an operation which I call grounding, and which consists in dyeing the souple with a coal-tar color, and, according to the shade of black finally desired, either green, blue, blue-green, purple, violet, or the like. After grounding I subject the souple to a cutch or gambier or divi-divi or sumac bath, at proper temperature and for a proper length of time, and then take it out and wash it, after which I then subject it to thelogwood-and-soap bath, passing it back and forth until the proper shade is obtained.

In the usual procedure of producing weighted and dyed souples in which raw silk was subjected to the action of nitrate ofiron, prussiate of potash, and logwood, then weighted and soupled in a bath of catechu, then, according to the weight desired, subjected to the action of divi-divi, and then again to that of catechu until heavy enough, great caution was requisite in order not to change the silk after it had become soupled to the condition of luster or to give it a spotted, shiny appearance, and much time was required.

By my procedure I am enabled to take silk already in the condition of souple and then weight it and dye it black, the weighting being of any desirable degree.

In addition to the advantages above enumerated the souple resulting from my treatment is of .a more homogeneous fiber, a beautiful black, and is of a kind readily worked or manufactured.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The process of dyeing unmanufactured silk which consists in taking it in the condition of souple, subjecting it to a bath of bichlorid of tin of a strength of from 20 to 30. Baum, leaving it in the bath for about an hour, more or less, then taking it out and washing it, then for an added weight of fifty to three hundred per cent., passing it one to five times through the tin-bath, then washin g it, then subjecting it to a solution of phosphate of soda, then again washing it, .then passing it back and forth in a bath of silicate of soda, then again subjecting it to the tinbath for about an hour, more or less, and then dyeing it black, substantially as described.

2. The process of dyeing unmanufactured silk, which consists in takingit in the condition of souple, subjecting it to a bat-h of bichlorid of tin of a strength of from 20 to 30 Baum, leaving it in the bath for about an hour, more or less, then taking it out and washing it, then for anadded weight of fifty to three hundred per cent., passing it one to five times through the tin-bath, then washing it, then subjecting it to a solution of phosphate of soda, then again washing it, then passing it back and forth in a bath of silicate of soda, then again subjecting it to the tinbath for about an hour, more or less, then grounding, and then dyeing it black, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affi'x my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JACOB WEIDMANN.

Witnesses:

CHAS. E. WATTS, GEO. J. ZABRISKIE. 

